Slub catcher



Sept. 30, 1941. J. c. PLOURDE SLUB CATCHER Filed June 16, 1959 Patented Sept. 30, 1941 UNITED STATE S PAT E N T OFFICE 2,257,125 SLUB oe'ronnn J e'a'n Charles Plourde,Rochelle, Ill.

Application June 16, 1929, Serial No. 279,435 7 Claims. goi. 28-64) The present invention relates to devices for attachment to and use on cone, skein, and tube winding machines, for detecting and preventing passage of enlarged imperfections known as slubs in thread or yarn. I

The-principal object of the inventionis to provide such a device embodying means arranged to be thrown into operation automatically by contact with the slub -to break the thread or yarn near the place where the slub occurs, thus enabling the operator to remove the objectionable unsightly'slub portion -so that it wont be wound onto the cone and be the cause of a flaw in'the fabric knitted from the yarn.

Other-objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent in they following description in which reference is made to the accompanying drawing, wherein: p

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of the slub catcher;

Fig. 2 is a side view thereof;

Fig. 3 is aplan view thereof;

Figs. 4 and 5 are sections takenon the lines 4- 4 and 5-5 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows; and Fig. 6 is a perspective View of the comb provided on the yarn cutting end of the slub catcher.

In threadand yarn it is not uncommon for defects and irregularities to occur which those in the trade refer to as slubs. These usually take the form of an enlargement or a bunch in the yarn and are weak and of inferior quality, and are objectionable and unsightly in a finished product. The device of my invention is designed to detect these, out the yarn, and give the operator a warning and opportunity to remove the objectionable partand tie the yarn. A knot is not objectionable 'in the finished product and does not show whereas a s1ub will. The slub catcher has adjustments which adapt it to various kinds and sizes of threads and yarns, including coreyarn (combination worsted and cotton), cotton, silk and wool. The device maybe used in connection withvarious kinds of winders, such ascone, skein, and tube winders, or wherever it 'is desired to avoid possibility of slubs passing.

A frame is indicated at I which supports the device and by means of which it may be attached to the machine it serves. At the forward end of the frame, i. e., the end from which theyarn travels through the slub catcher, is an eyelet 8 a over which the yarn '9 isthreaded as a guide.

A wire bracket 10 is mounted at one end in boss H on the frame and extends substantially the full length of the machine, and is mounted at its other end at I3 in the frame. Followingin the direction of the travel of the yarn is a tensioning device l4 mounted on a boss on the frame 1. It comprises a spindle l6 set into the 'boss and projecting therefrom vertically, over which is placed a sleeve I1 and two friction disks !9 pressed together by a weight 20. The disks are annularly flanged as at 2| so as to enable the yarn to be easily threaded therebetween. The yarn is drawn between the plates I and the weight may easily be changed or augmented to furnish a desired tension. Bracket 23 is mounted in the frame and has an angle por- :tion 24 extending over the tensioning-device l4 to prevent accidental removal of the weight or upper disk. 7

An arm 25 extends laterally from the frame on which is mounted a horizontalplaten or guide 26 over which the yarn travels and which defines the lowermost level at which the yarn may travel in the slub catcher Spaced a short distance from the arm 25 is aboss 21 which carries a guide arm 29 under-which the-yarn travels and which defines the uppermost level at which the yarn may travel in the slub catcher.

Rearwardly of this, point is another boss 30 which supports a spindle 3| threaded for vertical adjustmentand provided with a lock nut.

1A sleeve 33 is placed over the spindle and is provided with a flange 34 which supports a bottom plate 35 and a disk or two of wax 3B. The

yarn travels between the plate and the wax for waxing, and inasmuch as the Wax is mounted loosely on the spindle it will revolve and wear off uniformly.

At the rearward end of the frame is an upwardly extending lug 3! from which projects a boss 33 carrying an adjustment screw and a lock nut. An arm 4! is pivoted on bolt 43 and is provided with a laterally extending arm 44 on which is mounted a platen or guide 45. A coiled spring 16 is also mounted on bolt 43 and biases arm 4! upwardly while reacting against boss 39. Adjustment screw 40 defines the uppermost level to which the arm 4| may be raised and the lower edge of the platen 45 carried thereon serves as an upper guide for the yarn. At 47 and 48 are indicated two pins and at 49 Fig. 5 also shows the pins 47 and 48 and in thisview can be seen a notch 50 cut into the side of pin 48 to limit the lateral movement of the yarn.

In accordance with my invention a lever 51 is provided extending lengthwise of the frame I and having depending ears 53 for pivotal support thereof on a bolt 54 mounted on frame 1. Rearwardly of the pivot 54 the lever has a short arm' 55 which is of appreciable width, as shown .in'Figs. 3 and 4, so that the yarn may move lat- Fig. 6. Just rearwardly of the front end of arm 56 is a boss 59 projecting from frame I and provided with an upwardly projecting adjustment screw .60 and a lock nut. The arm 56 of the lever 5| in its retracted position rests on adjustment screw 60 and may be raised or lowered thereby to position the comb 51 just slightly below the level at which the yarn travels, as best appears in Fig. '1. Since the position of the rear arm 55 of; the lever is determined by the position'of the forward end,-'the platen 45 must be adjusted-to allow for proper clearance between it and arm 55. r 3 Inoperatiomthe yarn travels in the direction of the arrow 63 and passes through th space between platen 45 and lever arm 55. The arm 55-acts as-a feeler adapted to detect any enlargement in the yarn. When a slub occurs in the yarn,,its greater size will not permit it to pass through this space without moving the lever arm 55, since the platen 45 is fixed against upward movement, .The instant the lever arm 55 is moved downwardly, arm 56 is moved upwardly and-the pin points of comb 57 jab into the yarn and it is broken. Due to the angle of the pins of the comb 5'! in relation to the yarn, the pins dig into the yarn with a force proportional to the tension or pull on the yarn asitis being wound. Since arm 56 is of-much greater length than arm 55,- a proportionately small movement of arm 55 is sufiici entto move the comb 51 into the yarn, andaslub which results in only slight enlargementof the yarn will be easily detected. In passing, it should be understood that I may reverse the position of the slub catcher inrelation to the direction of yarn travel, in which event the comb 5 would, of course, be inclined in'th opposite direction. However, I prefer thearrangement shown;

' caused by the passage through the Meansmay be provided so thatwhen the yarn has been cut, winding or other operations of the associated'machine will cease, as, for example, a brake device may bereleased to operative position upon movement of lever 51; Usually, however, a trip device automatically stops the machine upon release of yarn tension when the yarn 3 is broken by the slub catcher, in th same way 1 as'when any other break in theyarn occurs, or whenthe'end of the yarn is reached. Such automatic stop devices are so well known there is no need for further description. It sufiices to state that the automatic stopping of the machine after breaking of the yarn by my slub catcher calls the attention of the operator 'to the slub detected so that no time'is lost in removing a short length j of-yarn containing the slub whereupon the loose ends are tiedwith aFrench knot and the machine is restarted.

* It will be seen that since tensioning' means i Mi plate 35 and 'waxdisk 36, and platen 45 are Q all adjustable vertically a path may b estabflished so that there is straight line movement of theyarn.

I do notintend to be limited to the specific de-- tails herein shown and described, but contemplate including within the scope of the invention all substitutions of equivalents and changes in.

details of construction and arrangement of parts to fit particular conditions.

What I claim therefore and desire to secure" the pivot, said short arm disposed below said guide and defining therewith a gap through which yarn may be drawn, said long lever arm gravitating to bias the short lever arm toward the guide, and a cutter mounted solely on the free end of the long lever arm and adapted to be thrown into the yarn and cut it upon upward movement of the long lever arm consequent upon downward movement of the short lever arm gap of an enlargement'in the yarn.

' 2. Structure as set forth in claim 1 including means under the long arm' for adjusting the same vertically so as to 'vary the spacing of the cutter relative to the yarn, said guide being also adjustable vertically andcbeing arranged thereafter to be'adjusted relative to the short arm to fit the yarn size to be operated with. 3. In combination, two longitudinally spaced yarn guides which determine the path of movement of yarn, a lever pivoted so that it has a short arm and a long arm extending in opposite directions from the pivot, the short lever arm disposed in spaced'relation to one of said guides and defining therewith a gap through which the yarn of predetermined size is adapted to be drawn freely, said lever'being normally biased in relation to the yarn adjacent the other of said guides, the long lever arm being moved toward the yarn upon movement of the short lever arm to throw the cutter into the yarn and cut it.

4. In an apparatus for detecting and catching slubs in a run of yarn passing therethrough, a frame, opposed guid means thereon defining a straight lin path for the yarn therebetween, tensioning means'for the yarn, a lever pivotally mounted on the frame beneath but adjacent the yarn run and providing a cutter arm and a feeler arm on opposite sides of the pivot, and a guide on the frame coacting with the feeler arm to define a gap through which the yarn is drawn, said lever being normally biased in a direction to move the feeler arm toward the guide, said outter arm solely supporting on its free end' a pronged device inclined at an acute angle relative to the yarn and pointing in a direction oppositeto the direction of yarn movement, namely, away from the guide, and disposed normally out of contact with the yarn but adapted to 'be brought into contact with the'yarn upon slight movement of the feeler arm. s

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 4, including waxing means for the yarn on said frame, located between the pronged device and the guide, whereby th pronged device is arranged means.

7. The combination set forth in claim 3, including waxing means for the yarn, located between the cutter and the guide cooperating with the short lever arm whereby the cutter cooperates 5 with the yarn before the yarn is waxed.

JEAN CHARLES PLOURDE. 

